The new year is usually a time when many people make new commitments to make healthy habits, such as exercising regularly, drinking more water or eating healthy.
It turns out that when it comes to health, married people have an edge, especially married people. But of course the act of walking down the aisle doesn’t provide these health benefits.
So what exactly does it play?
As a team, we learn how relationships affect health. One is a nursing professor studying how social support affects health behaviors. One is a social health psychologist who investigates how stress affects relationships and the health of couples, and one is a social psychologist who investigates how relationships influence health behavior change. Together, we examine how partners influence each other’s health, taking gender into account in this equation.
Health benefits of marriage, for both men and women
It is important to note that most studies of marriage and health are limited to men and women. But more recent studies have examined these relationships in partners with the same gender identity, the same biological sex and those of different genders.
One theory that seeks to explain the relationship between marriage and health is self-selection. Simply put, people who are richer and healthier than average are more likely not only to marry but also to find partners who are richer and healthier than average. Men and women with poorer-than-average health and wealth are more likely to marry.
While this may be part of the story, marriage also provides partners with a sense of belonging, more opportunities for social engagement and reduced feelings of loneliness. This social integration, or the extent to which people participate in social relationships and activities, can greatly affect health – from reducing the risk of hypertension and heart disease to lowering the risk of death or dying.
Another important link between marriage and health involves the body’s inflammatory process. Research links silence and absence to a close relationship with inflammation, or how the body reacts to illness, injury or disease. Although inflammation is necessary for healing, chronic inflammation is linked to heart disease, arthritis, cancer and autoimmune diseases. When one adult definitely has a very close relationship very useful, a healthy marriage by nature gives more opportunities for closeness and socialization, supporting the link between marriage and inflammation.
If we dig deeper, gender also plays a role. One study that linked marital quality, gender and inflammation found a relationship between lower levels of spousal support and higher levels of inflammation for women, but not men. In another study, if couples used negative communication patterns, such as one partner making demands while the other partner withdrew, women but not men experienced heightened inflammation.
Marriage and longevity
Married men and women, on average, live two years longer than unmarried couples. One of the reasons for this longevity benefit is the marital partner’s influence on healthy behavior. Study after study shows that married people eat better and tend to smoke and drink excessively. All of these healthy behaviors help explain why married people tend to live longer. However, men married to women tend to see additional longevity benefits over women married to men, for a number of reasons.
For example, female partners can look out for male partners, strengthen healthy behavior and provide more opportunities for healthy choices. On the other hand, married men are more likely to try to influence their spouse’s health behavior.
Women tend to take the lead in promoting healthy behavior, benefiting their husbands. The data show that men and women in same-sex relationships tend to engage in teamwork to promote positive health behaviors. In addition, married men and women are more likely to change their partner’s health behaviors, such as exercise, especially if their partner’s habits are worse than theirs. The findings suggest that both the person and the couple are in trouble.
Relationship quality can also influence health behaviors. For example, in the context of exercise, men and women who report higher levels of marital support are more likely to run for exercise. However, as parents, the association between marital support and walking became stronger for them, but not to the same extent as for married women.
Cultural norms and treatment
To better understand how men derive health benefits from their wives, consider the cultural norms that foster the expectation that women will be the primary caregivers in committed relationships.
Middle-aged people, and women in particular, have also been described as the “sandwich generation”, as they are often “sandwiched” between caring for growing children and aging parents. Caregiving can affect your immune system and overall health. In addition, invisible labor related to child care and household tasks, which are often not appropriate for women, can lead to women having less time for self-care, such as being physically active.
Women also take more responsibility for coordinating doctor appointments and promoting adherence to medical advice for their wives than men do for their husbands. However, husbands often spend more time caring for their wives when they are sick.
Of course, not all marriages are created equal
Relationship quality and relationship conflict also play an important role when it comes to marriage and health. Gender socialization and power differentials often lead women to think and care more than men, causing women to take primary responsibility for managing relationship issues, while men do not.
Research shows that women are also more likely to base their identity on relationships, and when they experience marital conflict or other relationship problems, they experience more negative emotional and physical health effects than men. This can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
Does this mean that all men must be married to protect their health or that unmarried people cannot enjoy the same health benefits as those who say “I do”?
Not at all. Unmarried people, of course, can enjoy good health and longevity. Creating and maintaining strong social bonds and being involved with the community is a good way to go when it comes to health. Additionally, making the best lifestyle choices, seeking preventative health care and reducing stress can help everyone live longer and healthier lives.
Libby Richards is Associate Professor of Nursing, Purdue University; Melissa Franks is Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University, and Rosie Shrout is Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Learn how to navigate and build trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter that examines what leaders need to succeed. Log in here.